Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-01-01
THE MIND CURE IN WASHINGTON.
Several Hundred Believers i'm the New
Science of Healing.


An INTERESTING TALK WITH LADY WHO HAS PRAc-
TICED AND TAUGHT THE DOCTRNEs-sCHIsNs IN
THE CHURcH-THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF THE NINE
cURE-How PATIENTS ARE TREATED.
81 should say there were four or five hundred
people in Washington who believe more or less
firmly In what is known as the mind cure, or chris
tian science" said lady who Is proud to make
one Of the number, to STAR reporter the other
| evening. "we have no organization. and are not
brought together in any way that would enable q
person to ascertain definitely our number, but
have reason to believe what have stated is safe
estimate"
''But how is it you have no organization, as
people who hold other forms of belief hAve7" was
| asked.
sCHIsMs IN THE NEW CHURCH
| "Well, an attempt was made to organize so
cety here but failed, owing to various cases. prin-
| cipally because there are schisms in the church
| already. Those of US calling themselves chris
tian SCIENTISTS who are followers OF MIS- Eddy, OF
Boston, would no sooner af1liate with others VINO
do not accept that lady as the prophet OF the new
faith than Roman Catholics would associate them
selves religtously with what are called the indie
WITH or an 4e DISCIPLES Of
Eddy are very exclusive, and IL IS said, will not
except those written or approved by her: Mrs
Eddy, you know, has established college, OF
christian science In Boston. The course Of twelve
/ she has added what is called normal course. She
! claims to teach all that can be known on the sub
1ect There is also college OF christian science In
"What are the leading doctrines Of the mind
| cure, or Christian science?" the reporter asked.
SOME OF THE ARTICLES OF FAITH.
s'That, as you viii understand is very difficult
question to answer Those Of u.s. who do not accept
Mrs Eddy as the prophet of our faith reserve to
ourselves much liberty OF belief. According to
personality and mental and spiritual qualities,
each builds up from the general underlying
truths, on which nearly all are agreed. religious
quate to the individual wants and aspirations.
speak now OF the mind cure, as 1t Is unfortunately
named. not merely as means OF healing and re-
moving bodily aches and pains but as rule OF lfe
To the purely spiritual side OF the mind cure is
much more than that which has to do with heal
ing. Many people take 1t up only because they
think it sort or necromancy or sleight-Of-hand,
by which diseases may be cured. To me IT Is
something highe" ano nOber-hgher even than
religion, for religion has to do for the most part
with morality and morality regulates our rela-
tons with our fellOw-man. Now, the mind cure,
as regard it, is purely spiritual and has TO do
almost wholly with our relations to the higher
power, TO the divinity.
RELIGIOUS USE OF OUR MENTAL POWERS.
"Briehy, 1 should say that the mind-cure was
religious use Of our mental powers" the lady con-
tinued 'sIt is the power within us that makes for
rlghteOusness-the power to heal and to save.
Prof. John Fisk, OF Harvard, says that the evOlu-
ton or man hencefOrth must be psychical. Now,
evoiuffon-an evolution from sense-perception to
spiritual perception. We feel and believe that
hitherto we have trusted too much to our senses.
We believe that the body and mind are one. That
one is the mind. We think that the mind-cure Is
phase OF the reaction against mater1alism. Even
the churches have grown material, and In recent
centuries have entirely discarded one Of the most
essential features OF ChriSt'S teachingS-the heal
Ing OF the sick. The mind cure, we claim, is ex-
actly
THE METHOD OF HEALING USED By CHRIST.
~ Immortality
soul. Indeed that Is the very cornerstone Of our
faith and practice. We accept the law. We be-
lieye that We are parts OF great whole, all NOV
ing within the law. The more closely we conform
10 that law, the more snugly we nestle to the
bosom OF the Infinite, 1t were, the more
nearly DO we fulill the true conditions OF our
beings and approximate the state OF rest within
the law, which is the ultimate end"
..You 90 not regard disease having any real
existence, believer" the reporter said
DISEASE Is IN THE MIND.
"No, we think it in 1.-THE mind. We do not say it
is imaginary, but believe it to be in the mind.
That IS what hold. Mrs. Eddy goes much fur
ther. She teaches that our bodies themselves and
all material things have no real eX1stence-that
the are all In the mind she goes much further
The best illustration or our theory OF disease Is
that which compares the mental process TO a
magic lantern. The lantern itself Is the mind, the
light is TRUTH the screen is the body and the slide
containing the picture Is thought. Whatever
picture you put on The shaae OF thought Is thrown
thought and the picture ON the screen IS changed
IL the picture the slide is OF disease 1t will be
thrown on the screen OF the body. Change the slide
to picture OF health, and the screen OF the body
viii receive ft as WELL EVIL and disease we regard
as the negation OF good and health"
"Can you give me an idea OF the methods V6od in
treating patients according To the mind cure VehoOl
OF medicine ?" asked.
HOW PATIENTS ARE TREATED.
''That Is another very difficult question to an
swer intellgiby, but 1t is one nearly all tnquirers
,,y-, hat r,f r
satisfactory answer. We do not pray over our
patients. We regard God as an Interchangeable
being. We strive to lift them into more spiritual
and especiailyto drive out the idea Of disease We
talk as little as possible about symptoms. We
never ask our patients how they are, but strive in
every way to eradicate from the slide the picture
OF disease. Fear and kindred passions we believe
TO be the greatest factor In disease We hold with
the physicians that nature tends to heal OF her
fears we put you In the way of recovery. Not only
do myself regard fear, anger and other violent
passions as great factors in disease, but in my own
practice look FOR mental traits and trends OF
character as causes OF disease. For instance,
some time ago lady came to me to be treated for
dyspepsia i talked with her, drew her out as
best could and endeavOred 70 discover her habits
OF thought and characteristics. found she was
stingy. not only sought in general to drive from
her mind the thought OF dyspepsia, but talked to
her in 4 way which hoped would stir her TO gen.
crosby. gave her number OF treatments l
have made IL a rule never to set price on my SER
vices. Ihaye never sought patients, and, in fact
prefer not 10 treat. But when people have come
10 me and requested me to endeavOr 10 help them
have tried TO do so, and let them give Inc what
ever they chose. The lady have been speaking
Of seemed TO improve under the treatment and
claimed that did her much good. She gave me
three dollars, / think" the speaker concluded
laughingy, as II she felt her treatment for
stiffness ,h sad n, not been perhaps quite as sue
SPACE IGNORED.
''We ignore space" the lady continued. 81 be-
lieye the time Will come when i can think to a
friend In Boston as readily as now can telephone
TO the post office. In our treatment however we
prefer TO have our patients in the room beside US
All that We ask OF patient Is that he will yield
himself 10 uS-that Is, not set his mind dOggedly
against the idea that can help him Most
practitioners or the mind require that persons
taking their treatment shall discard all medicine
In the present state OF the science would not
feel warranted In taking a very sick patient out
| OF the hands OF a physician. Patients who have
cept. In the cases OF children who become Ill we
hold that the thoughts OF those about them-the
moral atmOSphere-a6ectS them and produces
the symptoms from which they suffer- This we
believe, 10 be the reason that children who are es
specially beloved and are In consequence a source
| OF constant sOlicitude 10 their parents so FIRE.
| Guenty die young. The fear that grows out OF
this intense yearning love forces upon the minds
OF the parents thoughts of disease and death until
said, We believe iL Is all within the law and there
are necessary conditions or life which must be OBJ
served We also believe that the effect
OF long held and inherited beliefs. however false
cannot be got rid OF at once and that we must sttl
| make concessions 10 the instinct, so to speak of